To the Core
by ravengal
Summary: A look into the mind of Emolga, as she contemplates life, apples, her past, that darn Snivy and the enigma that is Oshawott... in her usual mischievous fashion, of course.


Author's note: Hey there!

... Why did I decide to write this one-shot? I'm not too sure myself, honestly.

I've always had a strange fascination with Iris' Emolga. She has the personality of a villain, yet she's not a villain. (Not counting that one instance with Team Rocket.) It's very unusual for the Pokémon anime to do such a thing, non?

Anyway, odd as this fic may be, I hope you enjoy it!

Reviews create friendship rainbows.

P.S. Extra details added, thanks to the keen eye of austin todd 315!

* * *

 **To the Core**

As I stand on this grassy field, watching Oshawott knock down some apples for me from a tree with Razor Shell, a single thought can't help but cross my mind.

I don't understand that otter at all.

Hey, it's not as if I'm not _used_ to the concept of guys falling over themselves to please me. I am, after all, the master of Attract. Heck, I have it down to an art. Snivy's one of those Pokémon who only use it to win a battle. Me, however? I found a much more creative use for it.

That otter, however, is an odd one. Despite needing Attact for every other Pokémon in existence, with him it generally isn't neccessary. It baffles me. It truly does. I mean, sure, I'm cute as a button. My mother even used to say that I'm 'so cute, it's criminal' and I'd have to agree with her. What can I say? It's a gift.

That usually isn't enough to get others to do whatever you want, though. It normally requires that little extra push. With him, all I have to do is bat my eyelashes and he's away.

I'm not complaining, of course. It's nice having my own personal man-servant. I just wish it didn't come with the extra... baggage.

Generally, I don't use Attract on a male with the expectation of it lasting for very long. I get him attracted to me, get what I want from him, then leave him in the dust. It's how I roll. With him, though? The flirting never stopped.

This is a situation I've never found myself in before. A male who just refuses to lose his attraction to me. Just _why_ is he attracted to me, anyway? Most males back off after the first Attract wears off.

There's also the _other_ problem. I'm not this guy's only target. _Ohh_ no.

I have no idea how many Pokémon he's flirted with at this point. I'm pretty sure one of them was a double ice cream cone, though. I'm also pretty sure that another one was actually male.

Regardless, it just makes flirting with _me_ all the more awkward. To him, I'm just one of many. One pretty face among hundreds.

Ha. Maybe that's why he hasn't flirted with Snivy at all. That or he's intimidated by her icy stare. She's certainly champion in the death glare department, that's for sure.

Speaking of which, she's throwing me that very look from her resting place against a large rock. I know she knows what's going on. I also know how much she dislikes it.

In response, I grin and wave at her. Her eyes narrow a fraction.

She never even _tries_ to understand me. Hence why we don't get along very well. I mean, seriously, why do anything when you can get others to do it for you? It seems like a waste of time and energy to me.

Besides, Oshawott's one of the only Pokémon I'm not actually forcing to do anything. He's doing it all of his own free will and I'm not going to turn that down. That would just be silly.

Hey, maybe she's jealous. I certainly wouldn't blame her.

"Here are your apples, milady!" Oshawott says, walking over. He holds out his paw, which is delicately balancing two apples on it. "Extra fresh, as you requested."

I throw him my sweetest smile. "Aww, thanks, Oshawott~!" I reply, taking one in each paw. "You're so sweet~!"

Sure, I'm laying it on a bit thick, but, hey, if it gets me apples...

Oshawott strikes a paw to his chest, possibly trying to look heroic, or something. "Anything for you, milady!"

Giving him another sweet smile, I inhale the first of the apples. Ohh, so good...

Apples have always been my favourite food, for as long as I can remember. Especially the fresh and juicy ones. I can't stand them when they're dry. In the forest where I grew up, the area was surrounded by apple trees, so we were never short of them. It was my version of paradise. Hence why I didn't move very far away once leaving home.

As I inhale the second apple, I pause as I see Oshawott staring at me expectantly.

I blink at him. "Whut?" I ask through a mouthful of apple.

He smiles. "Good?"

"... Yuh."

"That's great!"

There's a pause. What, is he expecting a medal, or something?

"Well," he says, motioning somewhere, "I'll be over there, if you need me." After a moment, he winks at me. "Stay classy, babe."

I can do nothing but stare at him as he runs off, squealing in joy. In the distance, Snivy looks towards the sky in irritation, then rolls over.

... Why must he keep doing weird stuff like that?

* * *

The team are now sitting around, eating our Cilan-made lunches. I have a bowl of electric and flying-type pellets in front of me. They taste slightly sour, which my impish nature is certainly not complaining about.

As I pop several in my mouth, I watch with mild interest as Oshawott chases a Mienfoo around the campsite.

"You're so cuuuute!" he cries, his eyes sparkling in awe.

"Get away from me, you creep!" the Mienfoo calls back.

It's quite strange, seeing the otter's radically different flirting techniques. At the same time, though, it's oddly fascinating. His desperation for a female companion, however, is quite pitiful, to say the least.

Glancing away, I'm about to continue eating when something catches my eye. Hello~! It seems he's so busy with the Mienfoo that he's forgotten about his food. He's known to be quite greedy, too, so it just shows where his priorities lie.

Oh well. More for me!

Reaching over, I grab a handful of water-type pellets and pop them in my mouth. Hmm, not bad. They taste slightly sweet. The perfect compliment to Oshawott's naive nature. I snigger to myself at the thought.

"One bowl not enough for you?" Snivy asks.

I turn to her, swallowing the pellets. The snake is eyeing me disdainfully, while nibbling on her own pellets.

I smile sweetly at her. "Well, hey, _he's_ not eating it!"

Snivy wrinkles her nose. "Right _now_ he's not."

"Nope! He's too busy trying to get that Mienfoo to like him!"

"Yes, well-"

"Drain Punch!" the Mienfoo suddenly cries out.

I whip my head around, just in time to see the weasel punch Oshawott straight in the face with a glowing green fist. With a cry, he flies backwards and lands in a bush.

I wince. That looked painful. "Ouch..." I muttered.

The Mienfoo huffs in annoyance. "Jerk!" Turning on her heel, she – I assume it's a she – storms off.

Snivy sighs from beside me, but says nothing more on the matter.

Gosh, that otter really is pitiful.

* * *

Battling's not really my thing, to be honest. Since I have a trainer, though, it's to be expected that she'll make me battle, occasionally.

Honestly, I'd prefer to just relax inside my Pokéball, but at least my trainer is still privy to giving in to my charms, despite being female.

At Iris' command, I use Discharge on Ash's Snivy. It hits her, but it doesn't do all that much damage.

At Ash's command, I get slapped in the face with Vine Whip. Ow. I retaliate with a Hidden Power.

This one actually hurts her, because it's fire-type. For me, anyway. I'd put that down to being hot stuff. Suck it, Snivy!

After getting hit with Leaf Storm, I decide I've had enough. Time to let Excadrill handle this, instead! Using Volt Switch, I quickly exit the battle. I know Iris won't be pleased, but hey.

As expected, I'm called back out and scolded. One set of puppy dog eyes later, however, I'm let off scot-free. I love having Iris as a trainer. She's so gullible, it hurts.

Now, I'm watching Axew battle, instead, while Oshawott hands me an apple he's just plucked from a tree. I give him a sweet smile and a word of thanks before tucking in.

It's still weird that I don't have to use Attract on the otter at all. After leaving home, I'd come to believe that no one would just hand me things the way my parents used to. Yet here we are.

My parents were rather unlucky, from what they told me. For the longest time, they tried for an egg, but, for whatever reason, they could never seem to make one. It drove them to despair. Yet, right when they were about to give up hope, they had me.

I grin to myself as I nibble around the apple core. To say I had an easy childhood is putting it lightly. I was my parents' 'precious little princess'. They doted on me like I was a gift from Arceus. I suppose, to them, I _was_.

I was given apples pretty much every day, I was never expected to lift a finger and I got showered with affection. I suppose you could say I got used to it.

Leaving home was quite a culture shock, to say the least. Other Pokémon weren't quite so willing to do whatever you wanted them to. Hence why I learned Attract. It only works on males, but, hey, I'll take what I can get.

Oh, I've made many an enemy being the way I am. I know that. I'm not sure I know any other way of life, though. I'm far too used to it.

"Wow, so cool!" Oshawott said from beside me.

I glance sideways at him, to see that he's watching the battle intently.

I may not understand this otter at all, but he's certainly the first one to surprise me since I left home. The first one to pamper me without the need for... persuasive tactics.

So, yeah. He may be weird... and I may not understand him... but you know what?

... I suppose he's not so bad.

 **The End**


End file.
